Paul and Perry dance around HPV vaccine

September 7, 2011

Hi Reader! Did you happen to catch tonight’s Republican presidential debate? Ron Paul attacked Rick Perry for Perry’s 2007 executive order requiring young girls in Texas to receive the HPV vaccine, which was later overturned by the legislature.

“Forcing 12-year-old girls to take an inoculation to prevent this sexually transmitted disease, this is not good medicine… It’s not good social policy,” Paul said.

Hmmm, not so sure I agree, Mr. Paul. Whether you want to admit it or not, 12-year-olds will soon become teenagers, who are notorious for bad haircuts, bad music, bad attitudes…oh yeah, and HAVING SEX. See, the HPV vaccine doesn’t work after an individual has already had intercourse if he or she has had the very common experience of being infected with HPV. It’s preventive medicine. Got it? And for those of you up on your soapbox claiming that your chaste daughters won’t need the vaccine because they won’t be having premarital sex; well, that’s terrific. Thing is, maybe their husband has. And all it takes is one sexual encounter to get HPV.

It’s a cold day in hell when I defend Rick Perry for anything, and I doubt he really had the health of Texans at heart when he signed his executive order. It seems that he may have had a conflict of interest or two. However, Ron Paul’s position on vaccines overall is completely off-base. Despite his medical training he seems to have only a vague understanding of public health, and his position on HPV vaccine is ignorant and ill-informed.